My name is Richard McBride and I have ALS. I was diagnosed in November 2012 at 57 years of age. This blog will cover my journey. Just remember, I am living with ALS, not dying from it.

Wednesday, 28 November 2012

Living with ALS

Last week I was diagnosed with ALS. It was not a good week.

For those of you who don't know what ALS is, it is a muscle wasting disease that attacks the motor nerves of the body. Basically your nerves die and the voluntary muscles in your body waste away from lack of a stimulating signal.

ALS is a terminal illness. About half the people with ALS die within 3 years and about 75% die within 5 years. Less than 5% live longer than 10 years. You can find out more about ALS at www.als.ca.

I am not going to say much more today. My simple choice now is what I do with the rest of my life, just like everyone else. My choice is to live with ALS, not to die from it. Of course I will die from something, but today I choose to live.